Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Player's Ball

Remember this shitstorm from a while back? Well the khakis in question, Band of Outsiders' Khaki Gaberdine trousers, are now up for purchase at BOO's slick new webstore. Turns out that the $550 top billing is actually only $528! Hallelujah! I was starting to get down on myself thinking I was way to poor to get a pair - I tend to rock poverty pants exclusively. In all seriousness, I can see the argument from the designer's perspective (small batches, label, construction, materials, Martin Greenfield, blah, blah, blah) not that I empathize with them all that much since I'm not the kind of guy that would ever go out and get such an expensive item. If I was going to cop I'd probably just wait for a sample sale or for a pair to show up on eBay, but that's not to say I wouldn't take a free pair courtesy of this super influential and unstoppable blog on dude's clothes - whattup Scott! I think it's also interesting that these pants (billed as suit trousers actually) come with an unfinished hem so after you've just dropped half a G stack you still need to take them to the best tailor in town and have these badboys finished. Talk about adding insult to injury, goddamn. Sart Inc tends to spread a pretty wide net so consider this a post for all the pimps headed to the Player's Ball.

All of these brands sell products that will be stylish for three months, then never again. It appears to be a combination of an ego and the stupid, stupid market that drives them to do this. Meanwhile, you can get classics that are of nearly the same quality, and will last you a decade, from J. Crew, L.L. Bean, or hell, even Land's End.

Anon @8:17- While I agree on the whole timelessness vs. trend argument you are pushing (and who doesn't?) I think you can find a much better example than trim khakis from Band of Outsiders.

These are insanely expensive, but they do not necessarily fit into the idea of people overpaying for trends as slim khakis are trend proof. Maybe a label or brand name, but not within the framework you have posed.

And on J. Crew, L.L. Bean and Land's End having quality that matches these pants, well, that's not even close to the truth. While these pants are insanely overinflated when it comes to their price tag, you are not going to find a better manufacturer than Martin Greenfield...at least in the USA. That's not saying those brands don't have good quality for their pricepoints, but they don't hold a candle to these pants.

This price is outrageous for a pair of Khakis. The mark up is ridiculous even if they are made in the USA. This is obviously targeted towards the man who obviously uses 100 dollar bills to light his cigars.

@ Anonymous. I did read it and it still does not justify this mark up. What kind of profit do they expect to make? $20??? How much did the pants actually cost to make. Let's see, fabric, labor, trim, hardware. The Pants are at a cost of $528. The mark up is usually %60 - %65 percent. Minus the retail that is, give or take, $211. But I understand. Rag and Bone do have to cover their overhead.